Owners' Representation - Cooperative Strategies, LLC

Owners’ Representation

Construction site

Every Owner’s Challenges are Different Based on Their Specific Needs

Our program management expertise totals overseeing more than $200 million in construction projects across several states.

We work on behalf of the School District to coordinate, organize, and manage the many players involved and ensure the project is held accountable to budget, timeline, and educational vision.

We Literally Wrote the Book on Student Trends and Enrollment Projections

In 2013, we launched a custom enrollment projection model, Student Trends & Enrollment Projections (S.T.E.P.), that was developed in collaboration with The Ohio State University.

S.T.E.P. was developed based on industry best practices as well as experiences with schools, school districts, and state agencies.

We analyze data, using the S.T.E.P. software, to develop recommended, moderate, low, and high enrollment projections. These projections take into account issues such as rate of growth or decline, and recent economic developments.
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Designed with the Long-Term in Mind

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As Accurate As It Gets

Our enrollment projection methodologies and tools have given us a history of providing extremely accurate projections for our clients.

Many of our studies have yielded 99% or higher accuracy rates when comparing projected to actual enrollment.

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A Ten-Year Look

Our studies project enrollment typically over a 10-year period by analyzing historical enrollment patterns, future residential development, inter-district and intra-district transfers, as well as various other factors that influence a school district’s student population.

A Look Into Our Process

We have proven tools for budgeting, templates for procuring service providers, and communication tools for informing stakeholders and keeping our clients informed. We also have planning tools unique to our industry that can assist school districts with greater program needs.

We review design documents, pricing, construction documents, progress reports, requests for information, potential change orders, schedules, etc., and report all pertinent items to the school district. This enables the School District, as the owner, to make informed, educated decisions as the project progresses. All documentation related to the project is stored in a structured electronic file system that we deliver in whole to you at the conclusion of the project.

Key Components of Our Representation Services

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Minimizing Risk

Communication is the key to minimizing an owner’s risk throughout a project. Our goal is for our clients to have all information readily available to make informed decisions throughout each phase of a project. Risk for the School District can be associated with the budget, the schedule, and change orders. We make sure to:

  • Address issues early
  • Communicate regularly
  • Perform our due diligence to assess the pros and cons of every decision item
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Vendor Selection

We have extensive experience with the evaluation of proposals from other consultants, having done so through many other service lines. This includes helping our clients assemble procurement teams for various solicitations and selecting energy consultants to implement energy efficiencies.

Our firm can manage the entire vendor solicitation process from start to finish. This begins with assisting the School District in deciding whether to solicit proposals from selected vendors or conduct a formal RFQ/P process. We handle all communication on on your behalf and help to develop interview questions as well as participate in the interview process.


Our consultants also aid in the review of fees and budgets and conduct market research to ensure such costs are equal to or below the market rate. Should there come a time that you are deciding between vendors, we can assist with fee negotiation to make sure you retain the best possible services at the fairest market prices.

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Scheduling

We adeptly manage each of our client’s milestones, deadlines, overall schedules, budgets, and vendor services. When serving as program manager, we take the time to involve the School District in the initial process of establishing master schedules.

How a school district wishes to be involved in the scheduling process is a collaborative discussion we have upon being retained. This entails developing an approval process and a core communication list, as well as establishing reminders for various committees, and expectations. Our electronic scheduling platform helps us manage all subconsultant individual schedules in order to hold them accountable.

Budgeting

For budget monitoring, we have developed a system for tracking the changes from the initial master plan budget, to the design budget, to the final GMP construction budget. This 14-tabbed, multifaceted tool shows where funds are moving within the detailed budget as scopes are developed and change orders are approved.

We keep you apprised of any requests for information or potential change orders so you can make informed decisions around approving changes that will affect the overall budget.

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Additional Services

  • Clean Energy / Energy Efficiency

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    Independent/third-party analyses that verify assumptions made by energy companies that prepare “savings analyses” that indicate to LEAs that pursuing energy efficiency and solar projects are a must.

  • State Funding Assistance

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    Assist with determining eligibility and navigating the application process for state funding.

  • Program Management

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    Manage construction projects from conception to completion on time and within budget while not sacrificing safety or quality.

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Facility Master Plan

If you need a capacity assessment as part of a greater master plan or capital plan you may also be interested in some of our other services

  • Enrollment and Demographics Studies
  • Facility Condition Assessments
  • Educational Adequacy Assessments
  • Capacity Assessments
  • Community Engagement
  • Project Management
  • Owner’s Representation

Navigating Your Education and Facilities Planning Journey is No Easy Task.

Thankfully, you don’t have to do it alone!

From initial assessment and planning to full program management – we’ll help you create a unified strategy to stay on track, and we’ll be with you every step along the way.

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